Colorado Wildfire Scorches Over 100,000 Acres
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Sparked by lightning just over a week ago, the Lee fire has scorched more than 106,000 acres in Colorado, becoming one of the state's largest wildfires on record.
Newsweek reached out to the Elk and Lee fires public information officer for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
The Lee and Elk fires, both ignited by lightning on August 2, are burning near Meeker, Colorado. Their quick spread led Colorado Governor Jared Polis to verbally declare a state of emergency earlier this week and call upon the National Guard for assistance.
Sunday's weather forecast is expected to bolster the fire, with relatively low humidity, gusts, and lack of cloud coverage.
Large wildfires are also burning in California and Arizona, with the Gifford fire having burned over 114,600 acres and the Dragon Bravo fire in the Grand Canyon scorching around 143,500 acres.
What To Know
In a Sunday update, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said the two fires have burned more than 121,307 acres, with the Elk fire charring 14,635 acres and the Lee fire scorching 106,672 acres.
More than 1,000 personnel are working to contain the blazes, using 14 aircraft, 23 hand crews, 51 engines and six pieces of heavy equipment. Crews were "successful at keeping fire on the west side of Highway 13," Jeramy Dietz, Rocky Mountain Team 3 operations section chief, said in a morning video update.
Smoke rises from the charred landscape burned from the Turner Gulch Fire Wednesday, July 16, 2025, near the community of Gateway, Colorado.
Smoke rises from the charred landscape burned from the Turner Gulch Fire Wednesday, July 16, 2025, near the community of Gateway, Colorado.
Larry Robinson/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel via AP
The Elk fire is currently 9 percent contained, and the Lee fire is 6 percent. Dietz said on Sunday crews are "working to get tighter on the fire perimeter," as the fire is moving south.
"The southern end of the fire is well staffed and prepared for more extreme fire behavior moving south," the morning update said.
Two Colorado Army National Guard helicopters and aircrews are assisting in wildfire suppression efforts in Rio Blanco County, following Governor Polis' authorization.
In addition to some residential evacuations, which are updated on the Rio Blanco County and Garfield County sheriff's offices, the Lee fire led to the evacuation of nearly 200 inmates from the Rifle Correctional Center.
What People Are Saying
Casey Cheesbrough, incident commander, wrote in a Sunday update: "Near-critical fire weather will return today, this will include low relative humidity, periods of gusty winds from the north/northwest and lack of cloud coverage. The very dry fuels with the expected weather could result in extreme fire behavior in some areas of the Lee fire."
Director of the Joint Staff U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Myk Bruno said in an August 8 statement: "The Colorado National Guard is Always Ready, Always There to assist the people of Colorado. We have specialized training and capabilities to assist the incident command team with this response."
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in an August 7 X post: "As a state, our prayers are with Meeker and Rio Blanco County as wildfires continue to grow. I have authorized the national guard and sent emergency support for the Elk and Lee fires including everything from firefighters, engines, handcrews, aviation resources, incident management personnel, and support of Rio Blanco County and Town of Meeker personnel."
What Happens Next?
Containment efforts are ongoing as crews work to control the two fires, with an estimated containment date of August 30.
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